So yesterday was pretty nice out and I spent the day in the garage getting ready for some serious work on my new project 74. Partially completed project I bought after seeing it on the forum.
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c3s-...-for-sale.html
The car had been transported to me last month and the PO ran into a surprise pop up snowstorm and it got muck and road salt spray into the new engine a and suspension work. I had wiped it all down as best I could in 10 degree weather. yesterday much to my dismay I see every piece of brand new hardware showing rust. Even the brand new wire retainers on the new master cylinder cover! Some rust damage to the brand new edelbrock chrome valve covers! Of more concern is some discoloration showing through on the freshly primered windshield frame.
I guess Ill be sanding down and repriming most of that as soon as the weather is warm enough,I really dont want to take off the newly attached firewall to redo the whole birdcage.

Cleaned everything down again yesterday. used a rag with some wd then another with a little motor oil on the chrome engine parts.
Whole front of the new edelbrock card all crusted with salt and looking rough looked alot better after cleaning.

The bolts holding on the brand new ball joints and other suspension look like they were out in the elements for years. Ill wire brush and paint,maybe replace with stainless.

Was feeling a little overwhelmed yesterday,the stuff that still needs completion is signifigant without having to go back and redo stuff that was already done.

Im horrified at the damage done by the few hours this project was on the road. My beater daily driver is out in the elements all winter and doesnt suffer as much as this car did!

 

i know that if a metal part has no finish or plating on it, the rusting will start almost immediately. there was no cover on it during transport?

 

Hi LA,
I'm sorry you had such a discovery!
I think what's happened is that it wasn't just those few hours of exposure; but rather that those hours got the rust started, and it's been quietly working ever since!
Your cleaning back when it happened helped some, but left just enough for the rust to continue.
Regards,
Alan

 

That sucks and I am sorry to hear it. You still have a great car with so many possibilities. Try to stay positive and look at what you have. I was sorry to see the PO's situation, but the end result is you got a great project car. Please start a thread on your build so we can keep up on how it progresses.
Best of luck to you and congrats on the new 'vette.

 

Be careful with SS bolts and suspension components. You want the correct grade of bolt and not just the best looking.

 

Stainless is vey apt to crack, I am always weary of stainless steel for major components such as suspension and engine parts.

 

Yikes. Those problems are minor.

A month of ownership with little real work accomplished. Too much time on the forum. Now feeling overwelmed before even starting.

Another failed restoration?

Maybe fiberglass in those flares?

 

I know its all fixable and its still going to be a great car someday.
Just a panic inducing moment to see the setback. In the middle of going through all the boxes and seeing just how deep in I am,last frame off I did was over 20 years ago.

To dar 322 no no cover it was clear skies with no expectation of a storm when he left with the car on his trailer towed by his truck,just bad luck.Weather got so bad he had to overnight at a hotel 2/3 of the way here.

Thanks for the heads up on the stainless,good point must have been why I didnt use it on my chevelle. Rust on the brain too lol these things are coming back to me more time I spend in the garage. Got a bunch more to get done today to make that a real workspace.

 

I had my '58 open carrier shipped 1600 miles last fall. The PO completely encapsulated the whole car with shrinkwrap including the frame. His beautifull restoration work was unharmed.

 

That would have been nice!
Spent a few hours with soap and water under the car. took off the radiator support and front fenderwells,then the two front wheels. So tools were involved,work has officialy begun.
Guess i need to start that build thread!

 

Glassing in flares at 20f in an unheated garage? No.

Its my process need to research alot before I start. Buying a project was unexpected. Too good an opportunity to pass up. But not ready to begin,garage definitly not set up for more than the brake jobs that have been the majority of the work Ive done lately.
I figure real work starts March soonest. Right now most of the time messing around is sorting through boxes of parts. Birdcage and frame came from 2 cars so some parts I got are extra,some already on car. Easier to figure out if I had taken it apart,or ever owned a vette before.
So yea not much work gets done now. Every weekend day thats over 40f Ill be out there getting the workspace cleared for spring.In the meantime Im here trying to absorb as much info as possible.There really is a wealth of information on this forum if you are willing to dig.

 

Congratulations on your new Vette. Looking at all the parts the PO put on you got a great deal.
If you did not get an assembly instruction manual (AIM) with the car be sure to pick one up, it will help a lot as you progress along.
Enjoy,
Pete.

 

Space heater...

 

Yep AIM and Chilton came with the car.
Identified my first real project. PO said the kit to rebuild door hinges was in there and found it! Found the new hood hinges as well. Still trying to find the kit to rebuild the window track.
So next weekend finish sorting the garage following week fix those door hinges so I can start aligning panels.

 

Well after a few months of dissasembly and scrubbing and it looking like there was no way there could be more salt and being proved wrong finally got a nice morning off from work where I could roll it out of the garage scrub and powerwash the engine bay. I hope I got it all ,looks like I did this time. Took a break for breakfast,its starting to cloud up I really wanted it to be out in the sun for a few hours. I did chase every bead of water off the car with the compressor though.


Thought the project was over yesterday. Was on my way home from being away a few days for a work conference,still an hour or so out when I got a call theres a brush fire in my backyard,it took 40 min for the fire dept to get water there get home asap. my 16 year old worked alongside the firefighters to keep the fire away from the house and garage with shovels. So lost about an acre and a half of woodlot,one outbuilding but no damage to house or garage,fire got within 30 feet of the garage though. Got home just as everyone was leaving. Ranger decided not to fine me or charge my 14 year old for starting the fire,he was upset enough. Didnt yell at him but had him walk with me to assess and discuss the damage. Put together a plan on how he will reforest the area.

He would be starting today but both boys are helping spring cleanup in a local town that was destroyed by floods last fall.Next weekend is soon enough to start planting,its supposed to snow again tommorow.

 

You can't wipe off salt. You have to rinse it down...WELL. Then, to prevent rust of bare-metal parts, you either have to put some kind of protective coating on them...or you have to paint them (the correct color, so they look 'correct') to keep corrosion from occurring.

 

True that. thats why I bought the powerwasher. washed the dd after that as well. Did have to push the vette back in the garage by noon,started raining. looks like I got it all off now.